As you make your plans to attend the GLOW 9 conference you may find the following information helpful in your preparation for and navigation in Kenya. If there is anything you’d like to know that isn’t covered here please contact our Secretariat team for assistance. We wish you all safe travels and look forward to seeing you in Kisumu!
Weather Kisumu features a tropical rainforest climate with no true dry season and significant rainfall year-round. January is the driest month while the month of April receives the most rainfall. The average temperature is 22.9 degrees Celsius. During the GLOW 9 conference in August, temperatures are expected to range from 22 – 25 degrees Celsius with a 25% chance of experiencing rainfall.
Currency/Money The Kenya shilling (KES) is the widely used currency but USD and Euro can easily be exchanged in many banks and forex bureaus in Kisumu. ATMs are available 24/7 at most banks, and in shopping centers, airport and convenience shops. Major credit cards are almost universally accepted. Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted. NOTE: Kenya is in the process of replacing all her current currency notes and coins with a new generation series. Both the old and new currencies are in circulation. Therefore currency notes and coins of the same denomination may look different in size and other features. One should be careful to when handling KES notes to properly distinguish their values.
Water Kisumu city is well supplied with piped potable water that is processed and distributed by Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO). You are however advised to use only bottled water for drinking as there is a high risk of contamination of the piped water along the distribution lines.
Power Sockets In Kenya the power plugs and sockets are of type G. The standard voltage is 240 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. It is recommended for visitors to consider using a combined power plug adapter/voltage converter.
Transportation
Air
Kisumu International Airport – KIS serves the city with regular flights to and from Nairobi and other neighboring cities such as Kampala, Mwanza, and Kigali. The airport is located 9 km away from Kisumu CBD. Typical two-way tickets between Nairobi and Kisumu costs between $60 to $150 USD. For your convenience a table of airlines flying to Kisumu is given below.
| Airlines | Connecting Airports Departing for Kisumu |
| Kenyan Airways | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – NBO |
| Fly 540 | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – NBO |
| Jambo Jet | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – NBO |
| East African Safari Air | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – NBO |
| Freedom Airline Express | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – NBO |
| Silverstone Air | Wilson Airport Nairobi – WIL & Moi Airport Mombasa -MBA |
Road
Most buses, matatus (minibuses) from various destinations in Kenya arrive/depart the large bus and matatu station north of the main market in Kisumu. The Guardian and Easy Coach are the two main bus services in Kisumu and both have daily trips to/from Nairobi which cost ~$15 USD a ticket take roughly 6 hours.
Taxis can also be arranged at a cost of about 25% more than matatus.
Getting around town
Bicycle, motorbike and tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) taxis are numerous in Kisumu and a great fun way to get around town. The rides are quite cheap as well.
You can also use location based ride apps (such as Mondo Ride or Uber) to conveniently move around town. Due to various ongoing construction projects, and other infrastructure upgrading activities, there may be some minor disruptions in the flow of vehicular traffic but they should not lead to serious delays.